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The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS),
one of the National Institutes of Health, supports all research
featured in this digest. Although only the lead scientists
are named, coworkers and other collaborators also contributed
to the findings. To read additional news items, visit NIGMS
News.

Cool Image: Genetic Imprinting

This delicate, birdlike projection is an immature seed of
the Arabidopsis plant. The part in blue shows the
cell that gives rise to the endosperm, the tissue that nourishes
the embryo. The cell is expressing only the maternal copy
of a gene called MEDEA. This phenomenon, in which the activity
of a gene can depend on the parent that contributed it, is
called genetic imprinting. In Arabidopsis, the maternal
copy of MEDEA makes a protein that keeps the paternal copy
silent and reduces the size of the endosperm. In flowering
plants and mammals, this sort of genetic imprinting is thought
to be a way for the mother to protect herself by limiting
the resources she gives to any one embryo. Courtesy of Robert
Fischer, a plant and microbial biologist at University of
California, Berkeley.

Trauma Treatment: Setting New Standards

In treating trauma or burn patients, physicians in the emergency
room typically follow widely accepted guidelines. But subsequent
treatment in the intensive care unit or operating room is
less well established and can vary significantly. A team led
by trauma surgeon Ronald Maier of Harborview Medical Center
in Seattle is developing a series of standard procedures for
the care of severely injured patients. In addition to improving
care, standardizing treatment will allow the scientists to
better discern the genetic factors that correlate with particular
outcomes and should ultimately help them use the information
to develop personalized treatments.

Super Sticky Situation

Caption: Caulobacter
crescentus. Courtesy of Brun

Yves Brun, a microbiologist and geneticist at Indiana University,
has gotten himself into a sticky situation—he and his
colleagues have identified the world’s strongest natural
adhesive. A common water bacterium called Caulobacter
crescentus secretes this glue so it can fix itself to
rocks and the insides of water pipes. By studying the properties
of C. crescentus, the scientists found that chains
of sugars seem to be the source of the steadfastness and that
the hold can be three times stronger than commercial super
glue. All this, plus its water-resistant and non-toxic nature,
could make the bacterial product an attractive new surgical
adhesive. This work points to the valuable—and often
surprising—outcomes that emerge from basic research.

Pharmacology Tops Anatomy in Treating Cancer

Almost all forms of cancer are named and treated based
on the tissue in which they originated. But that’s
probably not the most effective approach, according to research
by pharmacologist Howard McLeod of the Washington University
in St. Louis School of Medicine. Cancer cells can render
first-line drugs ineffective by destroying them or pumping
them out before they’ve had a chance to work. McLeod’s
studies indicate that, for successful treatment, a tumor’s
reaction to medications is more relevant than its birthplace.

McLeod’s work is an example of research supported
by the NIH Pharmacogenetics Research Network, a nationwide
collaboration of scientists focused on understanding how
genes affect the way a person responds to medicines. The
long-term goal of the network is to make information available
to doctors that will ensure the right dose of the right
medicine the first time for everyone.

Full
story
McLeod
home pagePGRN
home page
Article
abstract (from the February 28, 2006 online issue of the
Journal of Pathology) (Link no longer available)

Nature’s Tricks Could Improve Medicines

Many organisms like bacteria, insects, reptiles, and amphibians
self-medicate with substances they manufacture. Scientists
want to learn some of these tricks so they can copy nature’s
secrets to more efficiently produce human drugs. Recently,
chemists Catherine Drennan of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and Christopher Walsh of Harvard Medical School
discovered that the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae
uses a very simple method to make its chemical concoctions.
The scientists captured the three-dimensional structure of
a key enzyme and learned that an amino acid in the enzyme’s
active site was shorter than usual, freeing up enough space
for a chloride ion to slip in and trigger the reaction.

Biomedical Beat is produced by the Office of Communications and Public Liaison
of the National Institute
of General Medical Sciences. Some of the research briefs
in this digest were generated from university or national
laboratory news releases. For more information about Biomedical
Beat, please contact the editor, Emily Carlson, at carlsone@nigms.nih.gov
or 301-594-1515. To talk to someone at NIGMS about this research,
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